Following are a couple of articles from
the St. Petersburg Times reporting on activities regarding the Judicial
Qualifications Commission in Florida, sent to J.A.I.L. by Citizens for Judicial
Accountability CforJA@....
It's good to see this activity on investigating judicial behavior by states'
commissions, and J.A.I.L. is not designed to replace that system. A popular
argument by those opposing the passage of J.A.I.L. is "We already have a process
in place to examine alleged judicial misconduct; we don't need duplicity."

The reason it
is not duplicity is that J.A.I.L. is designed to be
independent of the influence of government officials who
often have conflicts of interest in judging judges, and most of the time the
commissions summarily deny that judicial misconduct exists and
consider the case closed, denying the complainant due process of law and
creating yet another unconstitutional "roadblock" to a judicial remedy. J.A.I.L.
steps in to provide this remedy whenever the system fails to do so.
Willful violation of the U.S. Constitution and
laws made in pursuance thereof is the objective standard to be used in the
J.A.I.L. process, a standard generally overlooked by commissions.

Watch how JQC handles Holder

Like him or not, Hillsborough Circuit Judge Greg Holder
has helped bring about positive change at the county courthouse. The local
judiciary is more diverse, more open, more professional and more accountable
because Holder alone among 48 judges had the courage to speak out against the
good ol' boy system that has long been the fabric of Tampa politics. Now Holder
is the subject of a conduct complaint -- thin gruel, by the look of documents
and interviews released thus far. How the Judicial Qualifications Commission
handles the matter will reflect on that agency's own judgment and candor.

We are in no position to judge at this stage whether
Holder violated judicial ethics. The JQC is trying to determine whether Holder
misled a federal judicial nominating panel by declaring at the time he was
unaware of any professional complaints filed against him. Holder had met on two
occasions with the JQC chairman, who admonished him for speaking to reporters.
Several attorney-members of the nominating commission said they did not believe
that Holder misled them. They also said they doubted that the facts amounted to
a material change or would have played a role in determining whether Holder was
nominated. It will be up to the JQC to make a convincing case that a meeting
between judicial colleagues somehow equates with a formal disciplinary process.

Holder has welcomed an airing of the facts, and we'll
leave his defense to him. But the episode raises troubling questions about the
process and whether judges who blow the whistle face retaliation. On what
pretext, for example, did a JQC representative meet with Holder? The
disciplinary process exists to establish a public record and to prevent a small
circle of judges from refereeing ethical and political disputes. If the JQC
meeting with Holder was intended to keep him quiet, what confidence can the
public have in the agency's ability to handle judges who are genuine problems?

The JQC has at least as many questions to answer. If it
is firing a shot over Holder's bow to keep other judges from voicing dissent,
then the whole concept behind the JQC -- that the judiciary can be trusted to
self-police -- will lose its moral authority.

Holder has his detractors -- they call him a
showboat -- but it would be derelict to disregard the political and personal
risks he took to right a justice system terribly off-track. Don't forget what
the community learned about Judge Ward, Judge Ficarrotta, Judge Bonanno. If the
JQC has a case against Holder, it should pursue it without reserve for the
contribution he's made. What we may see instead is another example of the old
boys at work.

* * *

(Article 2)

As you can see the Grand Jury, at least in
Florida operates in secrecy, plus the judges can seal the records so that a
Grand Jury in Florida for sure is not the answer to investigate judicial
misconduct. CforJa@...

State Rep. Larry Crow, R-Dunedin, who chairs the
House Judicial Oversight Committee, said he didn't know how the Legislature
would obtain the testimony, which remains under seal by court order. The
committee meets Tuesday to discuss the case. "I think
we will take a very aggressive stance in trying to get all information," Crow
said.

A grand jury heard testimony last year about Bonanno's
presence after hours in the darkened office of a fellow judge, and suggested
Bonanno had lied under oath. The grand jury recommended he resign. However, the state's Judicial Qualifications Commission conducted
a separate investigation and recommended only a reprimand. The Florida Supreme
Court will consider that recommendation. In addition,
the House Judicial Oversight Committee will hold impeachment proceedings against
Bonanno, and the legislators involved want the grand jury testimony.

Both Bonanno and the JQC already have asked the Florida
Supreme Court to unseal the testimony. Bonanno has said it will help him defend
his reputation. The JQC has said the testimony will help the Supreme Court
decide if Bonanno lied before the grand jury. But
State Attorney Jerry Hill of Polk County, who brought witnesses before the grand
jury, wants the testimony kept secret.

At Hill's request, the Florida attorney general filed a
motion Wednesday blocking the release of the transcripts. The Attorney General's
Office wants the judge in St. Petersburg who presided over the grand jury to
hold a hearing on the transcripts. "The law is fairly
clear about grand jury testimony," Deputy Attorney General George Sheldon said
Wednesday. "There is a presumption of secrecy to protect witnesses."

The Florida Constitution gives the JQC the right to
review grand jury testimony. JQC special counsel
Lauri Ross said the JQC should be able to use the grand jury testimony
too.

J.A.I.L. is an acronym for Judicial Accountability Initiative
LawJAIL's very informative website is found at www.jail4judges.orgJAIL proposes a
unique new addition to our form of government.JAIL is powerful! JAIL is
dynamic! JAIL is America's ONLY hope!JAIL is spreading across America like a
fast moving wildfire!JAIL is making inroads into Congress for federal
accountability!JAIL may be supported at P.O. Box 207, N. Hollywood, CA
91603To subscribe or be removed: add-remove-jail@...E-Groups may sign on at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jail4judges/joinOpen forum to make your voice heard JAIL-SoundOff@egroups.comAsk not
what J.A.I.L. can do for me, but ask what I can do for J.A.I.L.

"..it does not require a majority to prevail,
but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's
minds.." - Samuel Adams

"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of
evil to one who isstriking at the
root."
-- Henry David Thoreau
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